Sweet Apple Acres was the same as it ever was.

The fields had been tilled and sown in spring, and by now the crops were all growing in nice and green. The apple trees were all growing nice new apples, nearly ready for harvest, and the summer crops were already producing more than enough for all the ponies in town to eat.

Applejack sat alone on a little hill on the edge of her property, looking out over her fine, well-kept, and idyllic farm.

It was the same as it ever was, but then again, it wasn't.

Applejack wasn't sure what she'd said, or what she'd done to chase that mare away. Oh, the farm was alright without her, and Applejack... Applejack could manage. So she might have been working more lately, and trying her best not to spend time alone. When she did, she always got to thinking, and that never went anywhere good.

The sound of hooves on the grass behind her made Applejack's ears perk. "Go on back inside, Big Mac, I don't want to talk about it."

But it wasn't her brother's voice that replied.

Applejack's fur went on end, and she turned to see the same mare she'd been thinking about all this time. "I... I can't believe it. Y' really..."

The prompt: "You came back."

This is a thirty minute writing prompt, meaning you have thirty minutes to finish your story from the time you start writing. You may take as much time as you wish to think, plan, or outline before you begin, but once the first word is on the page, the timer begins. When you are finished, post your story to this thread, and, in the tradition of the TMP mods of yore, I will read and give it a comment when I can.

Traditionally, TMP prompts would have a six to eight-hour window in which to submit, but for these legacy prompts, there will be no limit after the prompt is up. Go ahead and post something a year from now, if you like. Just bear in mind that I'm less likely to respond with feedback to anything submitted more than a week or so after the prompt. Good luck!

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TMPL65 "Litmus" by KwirkyJ

Everypony knew that Rarity had her staff. In the early days, she had been as unprepared as anypony, and, lacking much innate strength and a distaste for brutish violence, had been as vulnerable as Fluttershy. As those first days turned to a month, however, a pale blue staff came to appear at her side, as omnipresent as her Ponyville friends, if not moreso.
Everypony also knew that Rarity knew how to use her staff. Stories were whispered at her skill and her fervor with which she struck down attacking changelingings, not always in defense of self or others. Twilight had her magic, Applejack her lasso and raw power; Rainbow her speed, Fluttershy her disppearing act, and Pinkie Pie was Pinkie Pie. Rarity had her icicle.

"Rarity!" Twilight called from behind a column. Rarity, tucking a few sweaty strands of hair back into position, cast a furtive glance around before darting into the shadows.
"Good," Twilight said, "we're all here. When we got separated, I wasn't sure we'd make it to the rendezvous."
"Weren't nothin," Applejack said.
Rainbow, scowling as she hovered a few feet overhead, nodded impatiently. "Whatever. Now that we're all here, are we gonna bust into the palace and get the queen or what?"
Rarity twirled her staff, mimicing Rainbow Dash's attitude of restlessness. "Yes, I believe I have caught my breath once again. But, before we begin, Applejack, darling?"
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"Catch."
With a thought, Rarity pulled an apple from her saddlebags and lobbed it to the side. Six sets of eyes watched it as it traced an arc through the sky and began thudding on the ground to roll to a stop.
"Uh, you okay, sugarcube?"
"What was that, Rarity!" Rainbow said, contesting. "We have more important things --"
In a blink, Rarity's staff struck Applejack in the head, once on each side. Applejack's body flared in viridian flames, revealing a chitinous equoid as it collapsed to the cobblestones.
"Oh my goodness," Fluttershy breathed.
"Applejack was a changeling?" the other three said in near-unison.
Rarity gave a light 'hmm' before turning to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, darling, our cover has been blown. Please perform a sonic rainboom."
"Rarity," Twilight said, "What are you doing? We have a job to do."
Rarity held up a hoof, her gaze still fixed on Rainbow. "Rainboom, please. Right now."
Instead of an argument, complaint, or obedience, Rainbow sneered at her. The others quickly adopted similar expressions.
"You think you're so clever, pony --"
Too quickly to follow, Rarity's staff spun. Precisely seven fifths of a second later, six changeling bodies lay incapacitated at Rarity's hooves.
She tucked a strand of hair back into her mane once again, then turned towards the arches of the Canterlot Palace gates.

Inside, there were hundreds of drones. Behind them stood the queen, Chrysalis, sneering at her.
"Welcome, Miss Rarity. So good of you to join us. I'm impressed you've made it this far, but, as your friends all ran away while you pressed on, I think your path ends here."
Rarity said nothing, slowly twirling her staff, observing the swarm as it wrapped around her.
"Not that your end will be a waste," Chrysalis said. "After all, everypony knows you have a staff."
Rarity smiled at that. "Yes, you are quite right. Everypony knows I have a staff. But you should really be curious how I knew my 'friends' in the courtyard were not themselves."
Chrysalis laughed. "Oh, please tell! I'm... dying... to know." She gave an extra chuckle for her own pun.
"I knew because there are two things your changeling magic cannot replicate. Memory, such as passwords and past experiences..."
"Interrogation and spies suffice for that, as you well know."
"I said there were two things, your majesty. The second..." Rarity's staff exploded into a cloud. Dozens of glittering diamonds, each wrapped in her magic, danced in a sphere about her. "Is skill."
Rarity's grin gained teeth and her eyes narrowed. "You won't be the end of Ponykind, Chrysalis. You just made us better."

Rarity's pale magic slid the green blood from her coat in a fine mist. Her eyes followed the fleeing queen as far as they could before she finally sagged in fatigue. She turned away from the window and plodded past the hundreds of bodies, dead or unconscious.
At the end of her path, Rarity hoped, she would find her friends.

Author's Note:
Takes place in one of the 'fallen worlds' when Starlight was messing with time, I guess? A rather loose interpretation of the plot, but this was fun. At the start, I had thought this would be an action romp to flex my kungfu-prose muscles, but I am pleased that the result became more than that.

Author's Addendum:
There are so many ways I think I can take the prompt... Personal challenge: response a day for the entire week. (Stars, I hope I have the time!)

4911208
Rarity seems to have adapted fairly well to the world she's found herself in.

In the changeling world in the episode, things looked pretty bleak. This one shows ponies victorious, at least, even if they've lost some of the happy innocence they had before. It was a fun read, if quite a bit darker than the show is.

And a post a day? I didn't expect this one so early anyway, and so many responses would certainly be a surprise!

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TMPL65 "Posey" by KwirkyJ

"Whoa," Rainbow Dash breathed. "Why didn't you tell me your parents lived in this district? Talk about classy!"

Fluttershy nodded slightly as they flew together through the massive cloud fornication of Cloudsdale's more affluent zone. Her wings flapped tight and tense, in contrast to her friend's open abandon.

"I never wanted to make a big deal out of it…"

Rainbow Dash continued to 'ohh' and 'wow' as they flew on. Eventually, Fluttershy glided down to land on a skybridge, and Rainbow joined her after a moment.

"So," Rainbow said, "we gonna meet your parents now or what? Don't tell me they live on the bridge. Nopony gets to sleep in public in Coudsdale, not even the super-rich or the Wonderbolts."

Fluttershy shook her head, sinking behind her mane. "Um, no. I, uh…"

"Yeah?"

"Um, thanks for flying up here with me, Rainbow Dash. It means a lot to me, it does, but, um, if you don't mind, um, this… I mean, this is something I kind of need to do, um, by myself. If you don't mind."

"What?" Rainbow's wings flared as if to fly again. "After what they put you through? I mean, sure, it's almost Hearth's Warming and everything, but…"

She trailed off, taking some notice of Fluttershy's body language of extreme discomfort.

"Eh-heh, well… I mean, I guess. Only if that's what you really want." She crossed her legs with a huff and looked up. She was surprised when she felt something press against her.

Fluttershy had just barely nuzzled into Rainbow's legs. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash. Really. Thank you for flying up here with me. Please, go see your own family. I… um, I need to go now."

"Y-yeah. Sure." Rainbow's eyes flicked for a bit. "Uh, I guess see you later, Fluttershy." And she was gone.

It was three long breaths before Fluttershy turned about in the open area, towards her family's plaza, and set off in a hesitant trot.

She stood before the door for some minutes, looking around for anypony taking notice of her. There were few birds here, most favoring the food and solid perches so far below. Without clouds overhead, the midmorning sun was very bright, the lit portions of the city positively radiant while the shaded would turn quickly to a mysterious blueish-gray.

Finally, she knocked.

Much later, she knocked again, loud enough that somepony might actually hear.

She felt bad about lying to Rainbow Dash, and it was during that thought that the door opened.

Stood there was an aged pegasus stallion with sombre eyes and a tan coat, a small gold chain and key around his neck and a tidy vest around his barrel. He stared at her for what seemed like too long, as she tried to meet his gaze.

"H-hello, Virga," Fluttershy managed.

He bowed deeply, and answered in a voice nearly as low. "Miss Fluttering. It has been too long."

"Please," she said, almost desperate. "None of that. I… I d-don't deserve any of it."

Virga straightened none too quickly, but nodded. "As you wish. Please, m'lady, come inside."

"Y-yes, thank you…"

She gave one last plaintive look outside before returning home in full.

The hallway was much as she remembered it, with gilded rails on the superfluous staircases and cloudwall-mounted gas lamps unlit for the day. Paintings adorned the halls that met empty archways leading to deeper chambers.

"Will m'lady require her chambers?"

"I, um, I don't know. I was, um, hoping you could, well, maybe tell me?"

"The ledger first, it would seem. This way, m'lady."

He lead her up the stairs, never quite touching the steps, to her father's old study. The Posing study, as some knew it. Even here, there were bookshelves as testament to opulence and refinement. Virga set about the room, collecting certain folders and pieces of parchment, arranging them on the wooden desk in the center of the ovoid room.

"As stipulated, I have continued to manage your parent's estate in trust. I am none as clever as your father or mother, however the balance remains positive, by and large. Per your absence, I am afraid if you have come to claim, little can be made available for some time."

Fluttershy shrunk even further. "I-it isn't about that."

Virga regarded her, pausing in his soliloquy as he thought. "Why else would you return, m'lady?"

She fidgeted for several seconds. "I… they're r-really gone."

Virga didn't interrupt as she stalled.

"I couldn't bring myself to… when I heard. I couldn't, and I don't want to stay. I'll… I'll take care of things if I have to. You were… were always so kind e-even…" She shook her head, as if dispelling memories. "C-can you show me?"

Virga sniffed in surprise. "That is not our custom, Miss Posey."

"No," Fluttershy was quick to correct, eyes wide. "T-that's not what I… I meant, um… I-I know they kept, um… albums. I-is there any chance I… um, that I could…"

Virga slowly moved up to her and hugged her with four limbs as she shook. "Miss Fluttering Posey… Fluttershy, as far as I am concerned, everything in this house is yours. If their images will not hurt you, please… they would be happy to know you care to remember them."

4914497
It seems entirely in-character for Flutters to keep that kind of thing from Rainbow, really. The implication that her relationship with her parents was less than perfect sort of adds to the misery of revisiting. Having lost the chance to set things right must be difficult for her.

Her talking with Virga is awkward from both sides, which works for a family servant who hasn't seen her in ages (presumably) and also might (possibly justifiably) be judging her for not being there sooner. Still, it seems he cares for her in a way as well, and hopefully he can help Fluttershy work through all this.

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Author's Note:
I think this one wants to be about five times as long, at a minimum. Oh, well? Didn't have time for any real editing pass today, so I hope it's as clean (and endearing?) as I remember it being.

TMPL65 "Wassail" by KwirkyJ

"Applejack, where'n we got any cinnamon round here?"

"I told ya, Granny, I don't know where you got it. I put it back on the shelf where I find it every time, and it's always someplace different!"

"Don't get snippy with me, Applejack! Do I gotta remind you about respecting yer --" Granny Smith paused. "Nevermind, I found it! Y'all gonna come in here soon? It's just about that time."

Applejack clip-clopped into the kitchen, a scarf already in place around her neck. "What, you're doin wassail tonight?"

"Shore am! Didn' I tell you yesseday, we'd all sit around the fire and I'd show all you young'uns about wasail."

Applejack's ears folded back. "Gee, sorry Granny. Twilight and us were gonna have a little shindig at the library. If I'd-a --"

"Don't you worry none, Applejack. Go have fun with your friends." Granny winked. "McIntosh and Bloom an I'll save some for ya."

"Well, if you're sure..."

"McIntosh! You all ready to help with some wassail?"

Big Mac tromped up beside Applejack, looking at Granny and the pot on the stove with some surprise. "Eeeenope."

"Whuzzat?" Granny said. "Y'all got plans, too?"

He blushed and Applejack answered for him, "Mac's gonna spend a quiet evening dining with a certain schoolteacher --" and was cut off as he nudged her. She chuckled.

"Well, at least Apple Bloom'll learn --"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SNOWPONY SCULPTORS!" Apple Bloom charged into the room between her siblings' legs, nearly spherical with winter wrappings. "How'd I look? How'd I look?" She paused as three sets of eyes landed on her. "What?"

"Go on ahead, all y'all," Granny said, visibly saddened. "I guess I c'n knit in fronta the fire tonight. The cider ain't goin anywhere."

"Y'all sure about that, Granny?" Applejack said.

Granny Smith brightened slightly, as show. "You're only young once, and the night's falling quick. Now shoo!"

The three gave each other sceptical glances before bidding Granny farewell and setting off into the light snowpack.

The quiet gave Granny time to find all the spices needed, and she lined them up on the counter as she might the jars for zap-apple jam. She re-capped the cider barrel, rolled it out of the way, and scrounged up the scarf she had started a week ago. She'd give it to Apple Bloom when it was done. The mark on it wasn't too lopsided.

Unexpectedly, there was the sound of hooves on the porch. Many hooves, and muffled voices.

"Huh? Whozere?" She groaned slightly as she got to her hooves. Halfway to the door, it opened from the outside, with Applejack in the fore.

"Granny, we... well," She turned back to the outside, said, "Jus' come on in, ya'll."

Behind her came a retinue of ten other ponies their noses redder than usual, some with snow suspiciously placed on their manes, and all smilining in one way or another.

"So, Granny, we was all thinking we'd have fun doing our own thing, but it's not every night we get to make wassail."

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Cider Stirrers!" The trio cheered, hooves colliding.

Cheerilee chuckled and Mac voiced in affirmative.

Recovering herself, Granny beamed at them. "Well, what're you all waitin' for? Get those scarves and boots off! Brush that snow outta your manes! McIntosh, get down the big pot; we've got wassail to make for a party!"

"Did you say, a --" but Pinkie Pie was cut off by a strategically-placed set of limbs.

4916876
This was cute, and not only that, I had to go and look up what 'wassail' was! Anyway, I think this was a good length. There's the series of excuses, a moment or two of watching Granny continue the tradition alone, with a sad air to the proceedings, and then the eventual reveal of everypony coming back to do it after all. Good work!

I think with so many ponies around, it'll be a bit more lively of a ceremony than normal.

Also I liked Pinkie at the end there, but then again I always like Pinkie.

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Author's Note:
This one definitely takes place in a fallen world featured in "Cutie Re-mark."

TMPL65 "Resolve" by KwirkyJ

The chains to he collar were taught as Rainbow Dash was taken into the throne room of castle Everfree. She glowered defiantly into the dark pit that was the dias and obscured form at the end of the hall, where she felt the Princess's eyes on her. She wouldn't look away, not even here.

"Bow," one of the guards ordered.

Rainbow flinched, but gave no other response. After a second, the guard stomped closer, his helmet inches from her muzzle.

"I said, bow before Her Majesty."

Another second passed, Rainbow staring through him, pulling surreptitiously against the five chains restraiing her. The guard raised a hoof, only to freeze when an airy chuckle came from the dais.

"She is a defiant one, aren't you, my dear subject?" The sensation of eyes lessened slightly. "Captain, leave her be for now."

The guard turned and bowed deeply. "As you wish, Your Majesty." He straightened and stepped to the side. "This is the pony responsible for dispersing the Ponyville snowclouds."

"Only one?" the voice said.

"Yeah," Rainbow barked. "Like any other pony could keep up with me."

Another chuckle was not what Rainbow had expected. "Oh, a bold one. Would you perhaps know about the disruptions of the autumn rains as well?"

Rainbow gave a hard smile.

The pit on the throne shifted. As if being poured, an indigo cloak of fog flowed forward with a midnight pony inside.

"And why," said Nightmare Moon, "would you wish to bring a blight upon your fellow ponies with these pitiful acts of defiance?"

"Because you aren't the real Princess!"

"And you think that, somehow, if you ruin their lives, they will rise up and supplant me? Foal. You misunderstand the consequences of your deeds." The eyes went away for a moment. "Bring Harvest from her duties."

"Yes, Majesty," said one of the attending guards before cantering off.

The eyes returned. Rainbow could now barely make them out.

"You wish for my sister to return to rule? Stubborn. Equestria is flourishing under my guidance; under my beautiful night. Wonders of magic are being performed daily; the arrogant races of Yak and Minotaur pay allegiance to our might. The stars bless us with their glow eternal."

Rainbow said nothing as the silence stretched. The princess circled around her and the restraining guards, eyeing her. Eventually, the door sounded and two ponies entered: the guard and an earth pony.

"Ah, Miss Harvest," she said. "Miss Rainbow Dash, meet a pony who is directly affected by your unrest." She turned to Harvest. "I understand your fields received little rain over the fall, and, owing to the disruption of winter snow, remain bare."

Harvest bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Inform us of the consequences, if the pattern continues into the following seasons."

Harvest did not rise from supplication. "My -- My carrots will be small and bitter, Your Majesty. All my vegetables will suffer, and weeds will proliferate."

"And has the night in any way impaired your crops this year?"

"No, Your Majesty. That is, the night would have, but the lamps by the unicorns have, if anything, improved my crop!"

The princess smiled. "You are dismissed." Harvest quickly rose and cantered from the room.

"You see," she said, turning back to Rainbow Dash, "your acts of rebellion are misaimed. My night is beautiful, and Equestria prospers beneath it."

"You'd say anything," Rainbow said. "Ponies will..." She stopped herself.

"Will what, my dear subject? Will?" She paused, considered. "Their spirit, you mean." She laughed. "Why should I crush my subjects' free will and spirit with an iron hoof? A broken spirit cannot dream, cannot imagine art or appreciate beauty." She stepped in through the chains and peered closely. "I could have sent a batallion to hunt you down, Rainbow Dash, but I stayed my own hoof, to see how deep your determination runs."

"I would've taken 'em," Rainbow said, trying to be tough.

"My team of seven was enough," said the captain, freezing when the princess's eyes fell on him.

A shadow fell across the princess's face, or perhaps that was simply her mane. "And only six return. Perhaps you wish to explain the dent in your chestplate. As for you, Rainbow Dash, I see in you a desire to do good. I know your strenth of resolve. But this..." She ran a hoof over Rainbow's splayed wings, the metal frame holding them out rigid. Where the loops bound tightly to the flesh beneath the feathers, welts were beginning to appear from her struggles. "...This will not do."

"You imprisoned your sister," Rainbow hissed.

"As just punishment for her imprisoning me," the princess snapped. "If and when she returns millenia from now, we shall engage in an educated debate on our ideological differences." She collected herself, pulling up to her full regal bearing. "Which brings us to the matter at hoof."

"What's that? If you're gonna imprison me or banish me, why all this talk?"

The princess smiled. "Because, my beloved subject, I think you can do great good... as an aegis of mine."

4918135
I like this, Nightmare Moon is calm and collected, aside from occasional hints of a temper behind it, and is slowly doing what she can to turn this valuable pony to her side.

It's a valid question of how somepony like Rainbow ended up in Luna's employ in that universe, and something like this might go a long way to show one way it might happen. Good work all around!

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Author's Warning:
Contains sad and suggested saucy.

TMPL65 "Blood" by KwirkyJ

I can hear his shod hooves tromping in the room above. I can feel his breath and his blood and his heart, everything down to the swivel of his ears. Surely he can feel me, here.

It is so terribly warm, inside.

"Marble," Pinkie says, wrapping the scarf back around me, "you'll need this on when we go back out—it's freezing out there!"

She's right. It is freezing out there. If one is not careful, the rocks suck the heat from one's body. But it is not the rocks in the pile or on the ground that worry me. It is the rocks of my heart, once rolling to Ponyville… now they roll into my chest as they seek the room above.

"Marble," Pinkie says, waggling her eyebrows, "are you thinking about your cousin?"

If I wasn't blushing before, I am now. Cousin. Cousin removed by how many generations, yet our blood is shared. I shake everywhere, as I think of blood, his and mine.

Pinkie gives me a sad look. "You want to tell him how you feel, don't you?"

Of course I do. But of course I can't. I can't ever tell him. He knows, and he can never know. Because of blood. Because...

Because of distance.

"You're worried about him living on the Apple Acres all the way away in Ponyville? Marble, did that stop Ma and Pa?"

That was different. Pa could leave. Pa came and stayed. Pa and Ma mingled their blood, pure, and built a family.

He has land and responsibilities and siblings and friends and… and somepony else? He couldn't possibly leave and come and stay.

Could he?

Maud enters, closing the door behind her. "The Apples are warmed up again. We'll try again to move the rockslide soon." She knows. Pinkie needs to see me, to read me… Maud, effortless even compared to the rest, needs only feel. I can never ever hide myself from her, even on opposite corners of the world. Not while we touch the base earth.

She looks at me. She doesn't have to to see my shame.

"In magma formations, siliceous matter flows into voids to form agate," she says.

Perhaps she means my agony: the hollow of my soul I never knew was there until it came on Hearth Warming eve… of the pain and suffering I let in by not fixing myself. Perhaps she means something else.

Instead, I think of him. I think of him and his hot, hot blood, and him filling me in every way that could possibly matter, cooling and crystallizing into something beautiful forever.

I think of him with me and in me, and I shake.

There are rocks to move and a dream and nightmare to accompany me in the task alongside these ghosts I call family.

The clunk-clunk of hooves is descending down the stairs, I can hear them, as he descends towards me, but is it towards me please he cannot know not ever not like this how I feel.

Maud looks at me in invisible apoplexy as she feels my panic. Pinkie's smile flickers as I know I shrink away.

I think of hot, hot blood, and how it all betrays me now.

Why, why, why must he be here and why must he not!

My sisters embrace me, like blood nearly touching but safely bounded, as I shake.

Somehow the shakes diminish, and they lead me outside.

"Marble," Pinkie says, "you wanna tell Big Mac how glad you are he came to help with the rockslide, right? And Big Mac, you wanna tell Marble it wasn't nothing to worry about, right?"

I almost manage to meet his eyes, and he mine.

He takes a breath.

"Eeeeeee…"

4921773
And we don't know if it's yup or nope!

This is good. There was definitely a budding something between these two in the show, and Pinkie looked to be shipping it pretty hard herself. But both of them are actually pretty shy and how would they ever manage to talk this sort of thing out?

But it's well written internal conflict, and Pinkie trying to be helpful while still being a little too loud and bouncy.

Well done!

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TMPL65 "Distraction" by KwirkyJ

“Next stop, Canterlot central! Five minutes, Canterlot! Please have your passes ready!”

“Hear the conductor, Twilight?” Spike nudged Twilight with his elbow, hiding a smirk. “You have your pass ready?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, her magic lifting two slips of paper from her saddlebags. “Yes, Spike, they’re both right here,” she said, emphasizing the word ‘both.’

He reached out with a claw, and she grudgingly gave him one.

“Twilight,” Twilight Velvet cried, “you’re early! Come in, come in! Here, let me take those. Oh, you’re both completely blanketed!”

Twilight Sparkle’s horn lit and melted the snow on her, her luggage, and Spike, siphoning the water do the side of the door before stepping into her parents’ home with a sheepish grin.

“Nighty,” Velvet called into the study, “guess who’s home early?”

Muffled from distance, a stallion’s voice answered, “Shining’s new foal all grown up?”

“Dad!” Twilight Sparkle yelped.

Spike chuckled. “Don’t worry, Twilight. I’m sure he’s just distracted at the moment.”

Twilight Sparkle’s har-har-har was interrupted as her mother swept them both into a fantastic hug.

“Twily,” Velvet was saying, “you can get the almond slivers down if you want. We’ll need those, in the cupboard, over there.”

“Almond slivers…” Twilight Sparkle’s magic pulled a few bags and boxes from the shelves before finding the right one. “Check!”

“And I’ve got the mixing bowl,” Spike proclaimed.

“Thanks, Spike,” both Twilights answered at once.

“Wouldn’t get very far without a mixing bowl, am i right?”

“Quite right, Spike!” Twilight Velvet agreed, beaming.

Twilight Sparkle gave Spike a look of no amusement that he pointedly ignored.

There were knocks on the door.

“I’ll get it,” Spike said, waddling quickly over to answer.

“I bet that’s your brother,” Velvet said.

“I’m glad we get to seem them both for the holiday,” Night Light added. “Both of you, with you off in Ponyville and Shining and Princess Cadance all the way in the Empire…”

Twilight Sparkle leaned into him slightly, stopping abruptly when her splayed feathers caught the counter.

She finished the mixing of pie filling as voices carried from the entry hall, and they all moved to greet the arrivals.

“Twily!” Shining Armor was quick to say. “Mom, Dad!” He gave them all massive hugs in turn. “Gosh, it feels like it’s been forever since we were all together.”

Twilight Sparkle and Cadance commenced their foalhood greeting, right until the final shake.

“Guess the ‘little shake’ isn’t so little anymore,” Cadance said with a light chuckle.

“Funny how you forget those things that are always there,” Spike said, completely nonchalant.

“Okay, I’m sorry!” Twilight Sparkle erupted.

“Come again?” “Huh?” The others chorused confusion.

Twilight Sparkle gave a dismissive chuckle and a nervous glance. “O-oh, uh, nothing. Just… I think Spike’s still a little touchy about this morning…”

Smiling, Spike said, “She got to the train station and everything, had one hoof on the train, and realized I was still asleep back in the libra—castle.”

Aggravated and loving in the way only siblings can be, Twilight Sparkle frowned at him. “Well, at least I came back.”

“And,” Twilight Velvet said, “you all came back for a day of family. Now, who’s up for some egg nog, stringing some popcorn, and a game of pastry-wager scrabble?”

Author's Note:
Much more lighthearted than previous. A joke that I edited onto the end and then removed:
As the mares trotted off to the kitchen, Shining Armor turned to his father. “What, no joke about what’ll happen when Mom wins this year?”
“It didn’t seem appropriate.” Night Light winked. “Yet.”
Only one more to go! Now that I've done (more or less) all the Mane Six, all bets are off on who will be the subject next!"

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TMPL65 "Dud" by KwirkyJ

Pinkie Pie looked up from the cupcakes she had been re-arranging on the pedistal as the Sugarcube Corner's bell chimed the entry of a powder-blue unicorn.

"Pierce!" She rushed over. "What's the matter? Don't you have somewhere to be?"

He shrugged, his eyes vacant, He trod over to the countertop and set a wide square box on its surface.

Pinkie regarded him with concerned apprehension as his magic parted the lid. Inside sat a sheet cake, as flat as Pokey Pierce's face, with the words in pantone-perfect icing reading, 'Happy Birthday, Pokey Pierc,' the 'e' and exclamation point absent with a square at the corner. She gasped.

Pokey Pierce nodded slowly. "Don't have much place to be... Maybe I got a dud?"

Pinkie scowled down at the confection, stroking her chin in deep and dangerous thought. Finally: "This will not do," she said. "This will not do at all."

Pokey Pierce took an instinctive step away.

"You," she said to him. "Stay right. There."

"Mister and Missus Cake, Pierce needs an emergency cake, stat!"

"Pink -- ie?"

They shared a shrug, blinked, and, eyes widening, burst into activity.

"Blossom," Pinkie cried up. "Party in five minutes at the Sugarcube Corner!"

"But I have to --"

"Celebrate with Pokey Pierce, absoposilutely!"

"Applejack!"

"Pinkie! What in the hay?"

"Sugarcube Corner in three minutes!"

Applejack glanced around, worried. "Somethin' the -- Pinkie?"

"Cheerilee!"

Cheerilee and a dozen students jumped to stare at the window. "Pinkie?"

"Emergency cake at Sugarcube!"

In a mass around the building, all of Ponyville glanced uncertainly at each other.

Twilight stood on the periphery, Spike, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash nearby.

"I don't think we're all going to fit..."

Author's Note:
For you, extra Pinkie Pie. Short on time and my other ideas were struggling.

4911091
Legacy Prompt 65: Talking

“Well hel~lo, pretty filly.”
At the low comment, Bon Bon grinned. “Hello yourself, handsome.” She nodded to Noteworthy as she stepped out into the street. “Ready for tonight’s party?”
“Oh yeah,” Noteworthy said, stretching his neck out and twisting his head a bit. “Just itching to get out on the dance floor. Accompanied, of course.” The last words were said with a comedic, almost parody, leer on his face.
Bon Bon, for her part, grinned back. “Here’s hoping you don’t step on too many hooves, then.”
Noteworthy lifted his head, arching one eye in a manner that would have seemed more in place on a Canterlot noble. “My dear lady, you wound me.”
“I suspect,” Bon Bon replied dryly, “that it’s rather the other way around.”
“Mph!” Noteworthy coughed, a hacking sound as he cleared his throat out, and replaced the leer with a more genuine smile. “Okay,” he said, “you got me with that one.”
Bon Bon smiled as well. “Good,” she said as she leaned into Noteworthy’s side, “if I’ve got you, I don’t have to worry about some other pretty face dragging you away.”
“Of course not. Now, shall we?”

“Whew! I’ve worked up a sweat. You mind if we sit this one out, Bonnie?”
Bon Bon closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before she spoke. “That might be a good idea,” she said. “Do you mind if we step away for a moment instead, though? I’ve got something I need to show you, but the fewer prying eyes, the better. Maybe we can walk over to the park?”
Noteworthy nodded. “Sounds fine to me, sweetie. Let’s go.” Noteworthy turned, heading toward the park. Thus, he didn’t see Bon Bon wince at his choice of pet name.

The walk to the park was silent; neither seemed to feel the need to speak, merely to stand close to one another. Finally, once they had arrived, Bon Bon stepped away from Noteworthy. She took a step away, turning to face him, then paused. Once more, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.
Noteworthy looked at her in confusion. “Bonnie? Is something wrong?”
“Not wrong,” she said, eyes still closed. “But like I said, there’s something I need to show you. It’s rather important.”
“Well, go ahead,” he replied.
Bon Bon took one final breath, holding it for several seconds before letting it out. She locked her legs in place, then reached deep within to the fire of her magic, and transformed.
Pain raced along her left side as the fire flew across her, tracing the path of her damaged wing. Her legs held against it though, and it was only a few seconds later that she managed to open her eyes and look towards her coltfriend. “Like I said,” she said, her voice catching with emotion, “rather important.”
Noteworthy’s eyes were wide with shock… shock and, to Bon Bon’s dismay, a deep horror which she could also feel pouring out of him. “No,” he muttered, stepping backwards, “no. No!” Without any further words, he turned and tore back towards Ponyville proper.
At the sight, sorrow completed what pain had not, and Bon Bon spilled to the ground, tears rimming her eyes, as her legs finally gave way. She lay there for some time, her anguish watering the soil below, before she finally gathered the strength to leave.

Noteworthy tore into the crowd of partygoers just outside the Sugarcube Corner, his eyes frantically dancing from one face to the next. He finally saw the one he wanted, and rapidly stepped over to tap her on the withers. “Miss Sparkle,” he said, voice catching in his throat, “can I beg a few moments of your time?”
Twilight Sparkle turned, saw who was speaking, and nodded. “Of course,” she said brightly. “What do you need?”
Noteworthy turned, craning his neck to take in the crowd before turning back. “Actually,” he said, his eyes still dancing back and forth, “I’d prefer to speak to you about that in private. Do you mind?”
“O~kay?” Twilight turned, speaking for a moment to the party’s host and source. “Pinkie, I’m going to step inside with…” She trailed off, looking over to Noteworthy.
“Noteworthy,” he supplied, and Twilight nodded before turning back to Pinkie Pie.
“Noteworthy here for a moment.”
Pinkie smiled. “Okie Dokie Lokie! Have fun!”

Once both of them were inside Sugarcube Corner, Twilight turned toward Noteworthy. “I’ll admit,” she said, “I’m a bit worried. What was so important you couldn’t risk anypony else hearing it?”
Noteworthy opened his mouth, froze, and shut it again. Instead of speaking, he launched a sudden attack, his forehoof flying forward to slam into Twilight’s jaw, imparting enough momentum in the process to stagger her into the wall. Almost instantly, he was lifted off the ground, frozen in a band of magenta light.
Twilight looked at Noteworthy in shock as she got back to her hooves. “What the hay is wrong with you?!” she screamed. “There was no call for that!” Carefully, Twilight released her grip only on Noteworthy’s head, allowing him to respond.
Noteworthy took advantage of his freedom almost instantly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he began to babble. “I had to know, I’m sorry, forgive me, but I had to know for certain.”
Twilight frowned. “Know what?” she asked, suspicion lacing her voice.
Noteworthy swallowed. “That you were really you, not one of them.” He turned, gazing straight into Twilight’s eyes. “I think Ponyville is being invaded, Miss Sparkle. The changelings have already kidnapped my marefriend, and who knows how many others. Please, we’ve got to find a way to rescue them!”
Carefully, Twilight lowered Noteworthy back to the ground. “You’re serious,” she said.
Noteworthy nodded, his frantic motions resembling a bobbling doll. “Yes ma’am,” he said. “We came to the party together, then after a while she asked me to step over to the park so she could ‘show’ me something. She showed me something all right! Turned into one of those monsters right in front of me! Who knows what it’d have done if I hadn’t gotten away?!”
For some time, Twilight was silent. “I see,” she said at last. “That does explain your rather drastic testing method.” She reached up, rubbing at her jawline with the reminder. “Okay, first step - keep everypony from panicking. Pinkie’s already doing a pretty good job of that, so we’ll just have to find a way to get small groups off to test them. Before that, though… is there anypony else who the changeling imitating your marefriend might go after? Anypony else close enough to the real thing they might be a threat to it?”
Noteworthy nodded. “Yes. One of my occasional busking partners is her roommate; it’s how the two of us met in the first place. You’re right, we’ll need to warn Lyra as soon as possible.”
As the name was spoken, Twilight froze. “Lyra?” She looked up at Noteworthy, concern on her face. “Lyra Heartstrings?”
“Yes, Miss Sparkle. I don’t know if you know her-”
Twilight held up a hoof. “I know her a bit,” she said, “but if she’s…” Twilight shook her head, then looked back to Noteworthy. “Noteworthy, what is your marefriend’s name?”
Noteworthy looked at her, his eyes crinkling in confusion. “Bon Bon,” he said. “Why?”
Twilight raised a hoof to her face. “Noteworthy, there’s something you really need to know…”

The knock at the shop door brought Bon Bon out of her moping reverie. She turned, noting that she had, in fact, left the light on where it could be seen from the window, and got up to head to answer it. “I’m sorry,” she said absently as she did so, “but I’m afraid I’m closed for the evening.”
“Are you sure? Because I really need a way to make amends with my marefriend for something stupid I did earlier.”
In shock, Bon Bon looked down to the street, where Noteworthy was practically grovelling at her feet. “Noteworthy,” she said at last, “what are you doing here?”

Time Limit

“Apparently failing to apologize correctly,” he said, looking away. “May I come in?”
Bon Bon frowned. “And if I said no?”
He pointed his head even further toward the dirt. “Then I would leave,” he said. “I recognize I no longer have any right to be here. But please, even if everything is over, even if I’ve lost you forever… please forgive me for hurting you, Bonnie.”
“Why?” The word was soft, yet it landed like an anvil in the middle of the conversation. “Why would you come back here after what you saw, what you did?”
Noteworthy cringed back. “Because I was wrong, and I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I… I was scared, Bonnie. Scared for you. I thought you’d been captured.”
Bon Bon’s eyes went wide, the realization hitting her and stopping her breath for a second. He was right - she’d been nervous, preparing what she would say… so nervous that she hadn’t warned him. He had had no reason to expect anything at the sight… anything except that his beloved had been stolen away. She looked at him again, seeing the evening’s earlier events in a new light, and stepped out of the doorway. “Come on in.”

Once Noteworthy was inside, he turned towards Bon Bon. “I have one question,” he said, softly. “Miss Sparkle told me, but I still have to ask. Is it really you?”
Carefully, Bon Bon began to project emotion, allowing him to feel her forgiveness flowing over him. “It’s really me,” she said. “I’m sorry, Noteworthy. I should have warned you what I wanted you to see.” She looked up at him. “Does it bother you?”
“Not if it’s really you.” He looked over. “I love you, Bonnie, and given what I learned tonight I suspect you know that a lot better than I’d thought. I just…” he broke off, not finding the words for what he wanted to say.
“I understand,” Bon Bon said, leaning over and caressing his face. “I love you too, Noteworthy.” She stepped toward him, meeting him in a deep hug. “I just wanted you to know.”
“I do now,” he said. “So, does this mean there aren’t any more secrets between us?”
Bon Bon’s lips quirked. “Well, there is one…” At Noteworthy’s confused look, she grinned. “Bon Bon’s a nickname,” she said. “My real name is Sweetie Drops.”
A smile graced Noteworthy’s face, and he leaned in, laughing slightly. “Love you, Sweetie,” he said as he placed a kiss on her lips.

4924115
This is a lot of fun! I was wondering what it was that was annoying Twilight the whole time, and annoyed ponies are always fun, especially Twilight.

Twilight's family has a pleasant, comfortable dynamic, and she and Spike are written well in character and all. I miss the foalhood greeting that Twilight and Cadance used to do, so seeing that again was nice as well.

The eventual reveal of what Spike's been alluding to was great, and made me go back and re-read just to see it with the new knowledge. Well done!

4925457
Parties are serious business, and so party cakes are, too! A dud of a cake, without even the proper name on it... that must be fixed!

Pinkie zipping around town like this and everypony just rolling with it is a staple of her more manic moments in the show, and it's well done here.

Even if the party is as out of space as the first cake, I'm sure it'll make up for the dud!

4925584
Changelings! What a surprise!

But really, this is nice. It's good to see a story about Bon revealing her nature to someone she cares about, and the miscommunication works well with the show and with the personalities on display. I can see someone getting so riled up about revealing this kind of secret that they forget the other ways it could be seen, especially without and actual explanation!

I was as blindsided as Twilight by that test, gotta admit.

Also I completely failed to make the connection between 'sweetie' and 'Sweetie Drops' until Bon pointed it out. So that was clever, too!

All in all, well done, a fun read!

4925457
Hey, I wanted to say, thanks for the multiple stories this time. Really livened up a prompt when I thought this little club of thirty minute pony writers was getting really weak. It was a fun week seeing a new story every day.